A supercavitating underwater projectile can achieve speeds of 150 knots, and, therefore, it is especially useful in naval applications. A supercavitating underwater projectile achieves these speeds because it comprises a special tip on its nose known as a “cavitator.” As the projectile travels through the water, the cavitator contacts the water in such as way as to create many small air bubbles. The small air bubbles then coalesce into one big air bubble that is large enough to completely encompass the projectile. The effect is that the projectile is traveling inside a giant air bubble that is itself moving through the water.
FIG. 1 depicts a side view of the salient components of supercavitating projectile 100 as known in the prior art inside cavity 103. Supercavitating projectile 100 comprises projectile body 101 and four prism-shaped fins 102-1, 102-2, 102-3, and 102-4 (not shown), which are equally spaced around body 101, and cavitator 103.
As projectile 100 travels through the water, there is a tendency for projectile 100 to swerve or fishtail, and the purpose of fins 102-1 through 102-4 is to keep projectile 100 completely inside air cavity 104. This minimizes the amount of projectile 100 which touches the water, which enables projectile 100 to go fast.